Football League to end sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola

The Football League is to seek a new title sponsor after rejecting an offer from Coca-Cola to extend its deal, which expires at the end of this season.

No deal: the Football League are ending their relationship with Coca-ColaPhoto: REUTERS

By Paul Kelso

7:30AM BST 30 Sep 2009

The two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new deal during a period of exclusive negotiation that ended on Monday, with Coca-Cola failing to match the League's valuation of what the deal is now worth.

Coca-Cola is believed to pay £5-6 million a year for a deal that has been hailed as one of the most successful in recent sports sponsorship.

The League is convinced that its new broadcast deal, which includes 10 matches live on the BBC along with a weekly highlights show, will enable it to attract more money than Coca-Cola offered.

The soft-drinks giant remains enthusiastic about the League and is likely to strike a sponsorship deal at a lower level, but it was not willing to significantly increase its offer. After five years there is a feeling that the deal has run its course and that other projects, including the World Cup sponsorship, have become higher priorities.

The League is understood to have received expressions of interest from several potential partners and executives are confident that they will be able to attract a sponsor of a similar calibre from next season.

Mexico, which has twice staged the World Cup, has withdrawn bids to hold the 2018 or 2022 tournaments.

"The decision is based on two factors, the world economic situation and the investment needs in our own infrastructure and that of third parties," Mexican Football Federation general secretary Decio de Maria said.

Australia, Belgium and Holland, England, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Portugal, Qatar, Russia and the United States are the remaining candidates for the tournaments.

Fifa will vote on the host nations for 2018 and 2022 in December.

A police investigation has been launched into allegations of match-fixing following an Active Nation Scottish Cup first-round tie.

Lothian and Borders Police began the inquiry after they were contacted about the game between non-league clubs Hawick Royal Albert and Huntly on Saturday.

Bookmakers William Hill also said they were looking at bets taken on the match.

Huntly, of the Highland League, won the game 7-0, with the first goal coming from a penalty when a Hawick player was sent off for handling the ball in the area.